When you ask a child about his or her knowledge of police officers and their duties, chances are you will get a response along the lines of “they put bad people in jail” or “they write tickets.” These replies are based on what children hear from society as to who the police are and what they do....

As part of recent demands to “defund the police,” some have argued that school resource officers (SROs) should not have a place in our nation’s schools. Some school districts, including those in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Denver, and Portland, OR, have recently cut ties with the police. Is this a...

I recently joined a school security assessment team for a newly constructed elementary school. The design reflected modern trends emphasizing transparency, openness, creativity, and collaboration in education. Reflecting on the elementary school I attended (50 years ago!), I was struck by the...

School parking lots can be a source of school security concerns, including safety issues for those driving and walking in the lot, the occurrence of illicit activities in the lot, and the potential of the lot being used as a staging area for an active shooter. For these reasons and many more,...

By Mike Jones (Major Consulting and Design, LLC) and Keith Fentress

We recently performed a school security assessment at a high school, arriving at the school about two hours after the start of classes. Although the school was in entire session, a quick drive through the student parking lot...